Buick City in Bay City?

[electra225]

Chris and I were discussing this in another thread, which was, in the typical fashion of our forum, derailing that topic. So, to set a good example, something I SELDOM do, we can continue it here.....

By 1908, Buick production has outpaced its facilities. David Buick had pretty much been tossed to the curb by Buick Motor Company by this time. Some production of cars had taken place in Jackson, and, in fact, Buick trucks continued to be built in Jackson. The search was on for larger manufacturing facilities. Whiting, who was financing GM at the time, either owned or had access to acreage in Bay City. It wasn't long until Durant himself was ousted by the bankers. Buick was a dreamer and inventor, but was a horrendously incompetent businessman. Durant was a promoter "extraordinaire", but had little use for any kind of financial planning or cost analysis before he made a move. If Durant saw a business for sale that would help GM, he bought it, cost not considered. This trait was what made GM the ultimate powerhouse it was, but it made the bankers nervous.

[TC Chris]

Billy Durant ended up running a bowling alley near Flint. But he did give us General Motors, which (after they made peace with the UAW) brought prosperity to Michigan, many innovations, and lots of handsome vehicles. I drove a Corvair for a while and loved it. Who else made modern air-coolers in this country? First automatic transmission? OHV V-8s? Modern FWD vehicle? Those Olds Cutlasses with turbos? The one major sadness was the early death of Walter Reuther in a plane crash. Our country would be a happier place if he had lived.

Chris Campbell